Monday, 25 August 2014

As we are seeing more and more of the violence
happening in the Middle East, with stories of beheadings, mass murder and
terror, we are reminded of the frailty of life. People in Iraq have been killed
in great numbers and been forced to flee their homes because of their faith, many
being Christians or other minority groups.Had I been there at that time the same thing would have
happened to me. It’s humbling that we as human beings are so vulnerable.

At the same time, there is great strength
in the dedication these people have shown. As they face the choice of
conversion, death or fleeing their homes, many have held firm to their faith, showing
the world that there is something they value more than their lives here on
earth. They place their trust in God, not because of what he guarantees to do
for them but because they believe him to be true and worthy of all glory. They
believe God to be good even when he doesn’t step in to rescue them but allows
them to suffer and even die because they choose not to deny him. That is a
faith that goes deep and despite the tragedy and horror of it all, I believe they
have won a great victory.

Their courage challenges me to ask how
genuine my own faith is and what requirements I have of God for him to be
praised. Is Jesus Lord in my life because he is giving me what I want or simply
because he is worthy to be Lord?

As the struggle for these people continue,
we have a chance to show our support and concern by doing what we can. The
Christians in Iraq are asking people all around the world to pray for their
protection and provision. At the moment, the town of Amerli in Northern Iraq is
in desperate need as they fear being massacred like other towns before them.
They have been surrounded by Isis for 8 weeks, holding off the forces with
women and children joining the men in arms, but are now critically low on food
and water.

When faced with such a powerful threat like
Isis, I believe the best thing we can do is to call on the Almighty God and ask
him to step in with his strength and mercy. Starting from today, Christians
over the world are joining together for five days of prayer and fasting for
Iraq. Not only will this have an impact on the world but I believe it will also
do something in our hearts as we are prepared to give up a little of our own
comfort out of compassion for others.

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

There
are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of
them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God
works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in us.

But
our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part where he wants it. How
strange a body would be if it only had one part! Yes, there are many parts but
only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you”. The head
can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you”.

This
makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each
other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is
honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and
each of you is a part of it.

1
Corinthians 12

There is something fresh and alive about
the way the Holy Spirit moves and shapes a church, equipping individuals with
unique gifts and strengths, then fitting them together to become one body. It’s
a powerful picture! A limb on its own, disconnected from the rest of the body,
is lifeless and can do nothing. But when it finds its rightful place, it is a
valuable asset, designed for a unique purpose.

When one part of the body is hurting, the
rest of the body is affected and hurts with it. It’s the same in a healthy
church, as people are knitted so closely together, that your pain becomes my
pain and your gain becomes my gain. Where one part is weak, the other parts
will step in with their strength. When one part is moving forward, the rest
celebrate and move with it.We are
not individuals, competing against one another but we are one body, working together
towards the same goal.

As living bodies need to be connected to a
mind for them to function, so we, as a church body, are meant to come together
under one head and authority. Jesus calls us to be his hands and feet. We are
not the brains making the calls, we are the ones responding to his signals and
putting them into action. We are not called to create our own mission but to
hear God’s word and obey. As the same Holy Spirit leads each individual, we
find ourselves living in unity.

I believe that, as God fits the different
parts together as one body, connected to one head, he wants one heart to be at
the centre. His. In the same way that our physical hearts pump blood to every
part of our bodies, so the heartbeat of God should reach each one of us. What
breaks the heart of God should break the heart of his church. What angers him,
should also anger us. What pleases him should please us. We each have hearts as
individuals that beat for unique causes but as one body, they come under
submission to God’s greater will. Our selfish desires are exchanged for his
desires. No longer is it all about us, but we find our place in the bigger
picture. We no longer live for our
own profit; we have died to ourselves and now live for Christ.